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Judaism & Christianity

Challenge for sibling religions is to move from rivalry to new respect

As a Lutheran growing up in Seguin, Texas, I
had little awareness of Judaism. I loved the Sunday school Bible
stories of Abraham and Sarah’s journey to a new land, the Exodus from
Egypt, and King David and his psalms. I knew Jesus and the Apostle Paul
were Jews.

But my grasp of Judaism after the biblical
period was limited and typical, I think, of most Christians since
encounters between us and Jews are rare in many places, including many
small towns. There are only an estimated 15 million Jews in the world,
with 5 million in Israel and another 5 million in metropolitan New York
City, compared with 2 billion Christians across the globe.

Many Jews, like this son and father, read from the Torah in their homes during weekly observances and holidays.

A
turning point for me—and the beginning of a lifelong exploration of
Judaism and Jewish-Christian relations—came one Christmas Eve during my
college years. My grandmother related that her father who was a
Lutheran pastor in Texas had been born into a Jewish family from
Lemberg, Austria (today, Lviv in Ukraine).

Often it’s this
kind of personal link that motivates interest in interreligious
matters. I maintain that all Christians have a unique bond with the
Jewish people. Judaism and Christianity developed as sibling religions
over the centuries. Jews and Christians are so intertwined in their
origins and history, as well as in scriptures, religious concepts and
practices, that Christianity can’t be understood without reference to
Judaism.

Our challenge is to transform this relationship from
rivalry and estrangement to new respect and love. This requires serious
effort.